Snow melting device



July 19, 1966 E. R. KERZNAR ETAL 3,261,965

SNOW MELTING DEVI CE Filed May 27, 1964 FIG-2 INVENTORS EDWARD R. KERZNAR SILAS L, SCHULTZ BY Man-1% llllllllAlHlHlll hll HHHHHHHHH H ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice 3,261,965 SNOW MELTING DEVICE Edward R. Kerznar, 11940 W. Cold Spring Road, Greenfield, Wis., and Silas L. Schultz, 3854 S. Massachusetts, Milwaukee, Wis.

Filed May 27, 1964, Ser. No. 370,524 2 Claims. (Cl. 219-420) Our invention relates to a snow melting device, and more particularly to a device that may be employed as a stationary unit, or may be placed onto any mobile conveyance.

The object of our invention is to provide a device that employs heating elements to heat a tunnel leading from the receiving hopper to a tank.

Another object of our invention is to provide a device of the character described that is a self-contained unit insulated on its entire outer surface.

Still another object of our invention is to construct the device in a manner to circulate the heat radiated from the heating elements, around the entire melting portion and tank.

A further and prime object of our invention is to provide a device that is self-contained, that may be placed in a position as a stationary snow melting unit, or may be mounted onto a mobile unit for movement to any predetermined location.

It is manifest to anyone familiar with snow removal by municipalities, or the like, that conveying, or trucking the snow removed from pavements, or the like, is a costly and time consuming factor. Very often the removed snow has to be hauled a great distance for its disposal.

The device described, illustrated, and claimed herein, provides a means of melting the snow that has been removed from the pavement or the like, and disposing of the water into a nearby sewer or conventional drain. It is possible to construct the unit so it may be placed into any desired location, or permitting it to be placed onto a truck, or conveyance that provides a mobile means of transporting the unit to a predetermined location for its function and performance.

The device is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and highly eflicient for the purpose for which it is intended.

Other and further objects of our invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view of the entire assembled device, and

FIGURE 2 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the device as shown in FIGURE 1, and taken at the line 22 therein.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring now to the same, the character 10, shows a hopper which may be of any form, shape, or contour, having a wide opening 11 at its top and tapering downward terminating into a tunnel 12, leading to an opening 13 in a tank or receptacle 14.

The tank 14 is shown equipped with an outlet tube 15, which may be equipped with a valve shown as 16. Obviously, the outlet 15 may be constructed in any convenient and efficient manner.

Extending upward through the upper wall 26 of the tank 14, we show vents 17 to convey the vapor within the tank 14 to the outside of the unit.

The tunnel 12 has an upper wall 18 forming a heating chamber 19 in conjunction with the wall 20 disposed in parallel relation thereto, and the chamber 19 has a plurality of heating elements 21 which are shown as electrical resistance coils. However it is apparent that any 3,261,965 Patented July 19, 1966 other heating means such as steam coils or the like may be employed.

The lower wall 22 of the tunnel 12, acts as an upper wall of a heating chamber shown as 23 in which resistance coils 21 are disposed. There is an inner vertical wall 24 provided with apertures 25, which with the upper wall 26 of the tank 14 together with the lower wall 22 of the tunnel 12, form a heating chamber 23.

The upper wall 26 of the tank 14 is also provided with apertures 27, leading to the heating chamber 19. The wall 20 extends downward and is shown as 20', parallel to the vertical tank wall 26, and horizontally shown as 20" parallel to the bottom tank wall 26", and again vertically upward 20" parallel to the wall 26" of the tank 14, thereby creating a chamber 28 surrounding the sides and bottom of the tank 14.

By referring to FIGURE 1, it will be noted that we show a conventional blower 29 mounted on bracket 30 attached to the outer wall. This blower 29 has an intake tube 31 extending through the casing 32 surrounding the entire unit and acting as a support for the insulation material 33.

The intake tube 31 extends from the heating chamber 23 into the blower 29, and an outlet tube 34 extends from the blower 29 to the inside of the tank 14, above the level of the water 35. The blower 29 is shown equipped with a pulley 36, which is actuated in any practical manner, such as by an electric motor or the like (not shown).

From the above description it will become apparent that the device is simple in construction and highly efficient for the purpose for which it is intended.

In operation the device functions as follows: The snow that has been removed from the pavement or the like, is placed into the hopper 10, the sides of which are heated by the heating elements 21. The heated walls 18 and 22, forming the tunnel 12, accept the melting snow disposed in the hopper 10, causing it to pass through the opening 13 in the top wall 26 of the .tank 14.

The air in the chamber 23 as it is heated by the elements 21, .is taken out of the chamber 23 through the tube 31 and forced into the tank 14 through the tube 34, by means of the actuated blower 29. This air may also be directed back to the hopper 10.

The chamber 28 surrounding the tank 14 inside of the insulation 33 receives warm air from the chamber 23 through the apertures 25 in the wall 24, and the melting snow terminates into water shown as 35 in the tank 14, and may be drained through the outlet tube 15 controlled by the valve 16. i

The plurality of vents 17 act as an outlet for the air in the tank 14 as the water raises in the tank, and as an inlet to the tank 14, when the water 35 is drained therefrom.

Although we have shown a specific construction of the parts and their arrangement, We are fully cognizant of the fact that many changes may be made in the shape, form and configuration of the parts and their arrangement without effecting their operativeness, and we reserve the right to make such changes as we may find convenient and practical, without departing from the spirit of our invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

1. A snow melting device comprising:

a hopper to receive snow, said hopper having upper and lower walls with the inside surfaces thereof defining a tunnel, apertures extending through at least one of said walls;

a tank having a top wall with an opening communicating with said tunnel;

3 4 outlet means associated with the bottom of said tank 2. A snow melting device as defined in claim 1,

for removal of liquid from said tank; wherein: a first heating chamber formed in part by the outside said first blower is associated with said first heating surface of said upper wall and extending around chamber; and said snow device, said first heating chamber com- 5 a second blower sucks in heated air from said second municating with said tank via an aperture in the heating chamber and ejects the heated air inside said Wall of said tank; tank whereby said heated air circulates in said tank a second heating chamber formed in part by the outto melt snow and preventing liquid from freezing side surface of said lower wall, said first and second and finally departing through said vent. heating chambers being in communication with each 10 other; References Cited by the Examiner heating elements disposed in said heating chambers; UNITED STATES PATENTS at ff fsa1d tank 665,157 1/1901 Zetelle 126-343.5 a first blower associated with said snow melting device 15 950413 2/1910 Stedman 126*3435 to draw air into one of said chambers whereby said 2602443 7/1952 Leafy 126*3435 heating elements heat the air and the heated air cir- 2809772 10/1957 Welsz 222*385 X culates throughout said heating chambers and I through said apertures to cause snow to be melted RICHARD WOOD Exammer' in said tunnel and said tank, said heated air going 20 C. L. ALBRITTON, sis ant Examiner. into said tank departing from said tank via said vent. 

1. A SNOW MELTING DEVICE COMPRISING: A HOPPER TO RECEIVE SNOW, SAID HOPPER HAVING UPPER AND LOWER WALLS WITH THE INSIDE SURFACES THEREOF DEFINING A TUNNEL, APERTURES EXTENDING THROUGH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WALLS; A TANK HAVING A TOP WALL WITH AN OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID TUNNEL; OUTLET MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID TANK FOR REMOVAL OF LIQUID FROM SAID TANK; A FIRST HEATING CHAMBER FORMED IN PART BY THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID UPPER WALL AND EXTENDING AROUND SAID SNOW DEVICE, SAID FIRST HEATING CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID TANK VIA AN APERTURE IN THE WALL OF SAID TANK; A SECOND HEATING CHAMBER FORMED IN PART BY THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID LOWER WALL, SAID FIRST AND SECOND HEATING CHAMBERS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER; HEATING ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN SAID HEATING CHAMBERS; AT LEAST ONE VENT EXTENDING FROM THE INSIDE OF SAID TANK TO THE OUTSIDE OF SAID SNOW DEVICE; AND A FIRST BLOWER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SNOW MELTING DEVICE TO DRAW AIR INTO ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS WHEREBY SAID HEATING ELEMENTS HEAT THE AIR AND THE HEATED AIR CIRCULATES THROUGHOUT SAID HEATING CHAMBERS AND THROUGH SAID APERTURES TO CAUSE SNOW TO BE MELTED IN SAID TUNNEL AND SAID TANK, SAID HEATED AIR GOING INTO SAID TANK DEPARTING FROM SAID TANK VIA SAID VENT. 